Week 9 - BYOC (Build Your Own Course)

Having just watched The Surprising Truth About Learning in Schools I'm thinking about how to apply the knowledge conclusions within the video.

Here are some key screenshots from the video:

Ok, excellent points, we can all agree.  But how does this translate into application within a college course?  To be honest, being a highly pragmatic person, I sometimes struggle with theoretical perspectives.  Yes, theories are wonderful, but what do they mean in terms of actual application to reality?  What's the point of theory without application to the real-world?  Looks like I'm talking about a couple of points from the first image in my own learning:  personal investment, real world application, and relevance to my own life.

What I will take with me from this video is to focus my efforts on student engagement and agency.  By providing students with choices about their own learning (agency), I can promote engagement.

We all know what BYOB means, even non-educators know BYOB, LOL.  We know what BYOD means too.  Here's my idea, a new acronym:  BYOC - build your own course.  Students are provided with agency over their learning, over their assessment.  Students can build their own course.

Here's a breakdown for my courses:

1. Lecture:  choice of PowerPoint (read) or Screencast videos (watch, listen)
2. Weekly discussion post:  choice of research activity, debate activity, digital tool activity (choice is even built in here - with multiple links within each type of post, interactivity required)
3. Weekly quizzes:  currently set as 10 multiple-choice questions (I'm stumped how to provide agency)
4. Midterm and final assignments:  choice of research paper, digital tool, video

So a couple of thoughts...

For my weekly quizzes, I don't know of a way to build in agency.  Suggestions out there, anyone?  Sometimes translating theory to practice creates real-world challenges.  If I eliminate my quizzes, students won't work through content - grades have to be attached for college students to actually do the work, that's reality.  I make the discussion posts and quizzes weekly because I know (from both research and experience) that if students aren't required to check in weekly, they fall behind and even fail.

As for my midterm and final assignments, I plan to build up a wiki or website of digital tools (also to be used for the weekly discussion post digital tool activity).  This resource will include a brief overview of the tool, a how-to video, and some real assignment ideas (for sharing with other teachers too).  Students will be directed to the resource site to learn about the tools.  I also plan to allow students to suggest new ideas for midterm and final assignments - so far I have research paper, digital tool, or video, but if students have some other idea that works, I can build up my resource tools, provide more choices for future students, and promote further agency.

I love the idea of building in agency.  As a teacher, I get tired of marking 200 identical submissions (YAWN!);  agency means variety and interesting creative work.  As a student, I absolutely love when I can choose what I want to learn about, and how I want to learn.  I can choose things that have double- or even triple- value - learn about something I can use, share it with others, and earn marks for my UOIT course too.  If you had your own agency, what would you choose?  Old-school lecture, breakout activities, written paper, digital tool activity, test, group work, PBL, presentation?